Auto Transport Tips: What to do When Brokers Don’t Stop Calling
Before we get into the subject of today’s post, we need to add a little caveat to it. We talk a lot about auto transport quote providers in this post, and while the information contained here is still very much accurate, it’s safe to say that quote providers are slowly fading away.
Years ago, auto transport quote providers – also known as lead providers – were the dominant form of auto transport company you could find on the internet. When you typed in “auto transport” or “car shipping” into your preferred search engine, you’d find quote providers all over the place.
Their job is simple: get information from customers, sell it to auto shipping brokers, and make money on each “lead” sold. Typically, quote providers sent customer information to up to ten different car transport companies at a time.
This may sound familiar – it’s a lot like how car insurance works, doesn’t it? But, unlike car insurance, the auto shipping industry has moved away from quote providers as of late, so the information contained in this post may not be as useful as it once was.
Still, though, there are some great tips on dealing with auto shipping companies that won’t stop calling, which can still be an issue even today. So keep reading to learn how to protect yourself and what to do when brokers don’t stop calling you.
Article Overview
Why were auto transport quote providers so common?
To be fair, quote providers do provide a service – they get customers in contact with brokers, and brokers in contact with customers. So it’s not like quote providers are out to scam anyone. They offer free quotes from different shippers for auto transportation services. That, in and of itself, isn’t a bad thing.
Auto transport quote providers used to be common because that’s how Google saw the industry. They wanted customers to get quotes and compare prices and services before choosing someone. They promoted companies that offered those kinds of services. This in turn led brokers like us to rely on quote providers for new customers.
Over time, though, bigger brokerages started working on usurping the quote providers and getting access to customers through search results themselves. Nowadays, it’s hard to find quote providers – most of the search results you see will be auto transport brokers and not quote providers.
This has had the effect of reducing how many phone calls people get from brokers, which is definitely a plus. Auto transport leads are just like any other sales lead – they have to be cold-called, and there’s a low chance a customer would book through a process like that. Now that quote providers are, for the most part, out of the mix, the industry has shifted drastically.
So I won’t have to deal with dozens of calls every day?
So long as you didn’t provide information to a quote provider to get multiple free quotes, you shouldn’t have to deal with dozens of calls each day. That’s probably the biggest boon from the changes that search engines have made in their results – customers don’t have to deal with quote providers.
At the same time, though, quote providers did allow customers to compare prices and services without having to spend any more or do a lot of work. One quick form was all it took to get prices from a lot of different shippers. And, since all the results showed quote providers on the front page, most brokers – even the biggest ones – had to rely on them.
Now, though, the biggest brokers are on the front page of industry-related search results, eliminating the need for quote providers. And, since you’re only getting one quote at a time from each broker, they shouldn’t be nagging you incessantly.
Really, getting a single quote at a time is the way to go these days. You can get a quote from us here at American Auto Shipping via our online quote form for absolutely free as well.
Quote providers do still exist, though
Believe it or not, auto shipping quote providers do still exist and do still offer multiple quotes from different shippers. They’re a bit harder to find, as they’ve dropped on the rankings of most search results. But they are still around.
Though quote providers are, on the whole, relics of the past, they still exist, and many brokers still rely on their services. Those at the top of the search results, though, will still call customers who are on the fence about booking with them and will continue to call until they’re given a firm yes or no.
This isn’t surprising – if you had lots of people calling and asking questions and not giving you their business, well, you may call them back and nudge them in the right direction, no? Many brokers still do this. It’s a far cry from having ten of them call at once – now, you have more control since you can pick and choose the companies you call for a quote. So instead of a lot of different calls, you get calls from the same two or three or four companies you contacted.
And that, still, can be rather annoying. So you still need to have some understanding of how to get them to stop calling you, especially once you’ve placed your order with someone else.
How to stop brokers calling incessantly
First off, just tell them you don’t need their services. It’s actually easier than you might think. If given a hard no after someone calls in for a quote, they’ll usually just stop contacting you. “I’ve booked with someone else, thanks,” is usually enough in that regard.
If you do use a quote provider and are getting lots of calls, you may need to go further and demand to have your number removed from their system. This is usually your best bet in this situation and is often the most direct method of getting auto transporters to stop calling.
However, when you have ten different shippers calling you all at once, having to tell them individually can be a pain, and still results in lots of calls. This is a big reason why we do not recommend using a quote provider if you don’t want phone calls.
Some people do! Some people like the fact that they get lots of calls and offers and don’t mind it at all. But most people don’t, and if you’re in that latter category, it’s a lot better being in control of who you contact and who calls you back.
Avoid the headaches with American Auto Shipping
With American Auto Shipping, you’ll get a free, customized quote for your shipment directly from us. We work with top-rated carriers to get your vehicle moved and we make sure that they are fully licensed and bonded. We do not get any leads from any quote providers, so you won’t be nagged incessantly by us to try to get your business.
As one of the largest auto transporters in the country, we know what it takes to move vehicles at a great rate. We use an online auto transport rates calculator that uses 500 points of real-time data to always provide an accurate quote. So you can fill out our free online quote form to get a free, accurate quote instantly. We may call you to follow up on your quote, but if you tell us you’re not interested, we won’t call again.
You can also call our toll-free number at 800-930-7417 and speak to one of our live representatives. We recommend doing this if you have questions or need some help getting your quote. But regardless of whether you use our online form or call us for a quote, we can help you ship your vehicle.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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